For, after all, put it as we may to ourselves, we are all of us from birth to death guests at a table which we did not spread. The sun, the earth, love, friends, our very breath are parts of the banquet.... Shall we think of the day as a chance to come nearer to our Host, and to find out something of Him who has fed us so long?

Davis frames human life as unearned hospitality: we arrive to a “table which we did not spread,” sustained by gifts—nature, affection, companionship, even breath—that precede and exceed our control. The metaphor shifts gratitude from a vague feeling into an ethical and spiritual stance: if existence is a banquet, then entitlement is a category mistake, and the proper response is humility, attentiveness, and thankfulness. Her final question turns the image toward devotion, suggesting that daily life can be treated as an opportunity to know the “Host” (God) more intimately, not merely to consume the gifts. The ellipsis underscores abundance and the difficulty of exhausting what has been given.